Conventionally, there has been an apparatus that includes a medicine storing portion having a plurality of compartments (blocks) for storing medicines to be taken, and that gives by voice or display, at the medication time, a notice that the medication time has come.
For example, a medication management case includes a plurality of lidded chambers for storing medicines, a medication instruction LED indicating the chamber having the medicine to be taken stored therein, and a display on which the present time and the medication condition are displayed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-181137 [0034]-[0038], FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (Patent Document 1)).
Furthermore, an administration system is configured with a hospital-side apparatus and an at-home patient-side apparatus. The at-home patient-side apparatus includes a drug box having means for storing each divided medicine, means for displaying which drug to be taken out, and means for detecting taking in/out of drugs, and a patient terminal controller receiving and storing administration management data to let the patient know the designated time and the like, and a display portion for output and display for the patient (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-201827 (Patent Document 2)).
In addition, a drug collection container includes a doughnut-shaped container body having a plurality of storage compartments, a controller body embedded in a central empty portion of the container body, and a bottom cover attached to the bottom portion of the container body (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-291840 (Patent Document 3)).
In addition, a drug container includes a container body having a plurality of compartments, a top cover fitted in the container body, and a bottom cover attached to the bottom portion of the container body (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-362652 (Patent Document 4)).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-181137
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-201827
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-291840
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-362652